By Heresies Distressed (94 page)

She stared out into the gathering evening, and the eyes of her dead mother were hard, hard, as she gazed unblinkingly into the wind.

She was fortunate to have Phylyp. She knew that, even if there were times she wanted to scream at him. He'd been a spymaster too long, she thought, forgotten how to think any way except in the cold, analytical fashion of a chess player. His insistence that they still had to keep their minds open to the possibility that someone besides Cayleb might have given the order was probably appropriate for a spy, but there was no question in Irys' mind. No question of who was responsible . . . or who would ultimately pay.

In the meantime, she would take Phylyp's tactical advice. He was right that the two of them somehow had to keep Daivyn out of the Church's clutches. No matter how fervently the Group of Four might have announced its recognition of him as Corisande's legitimate ruler, he was only a little boy. Someone like Clyntahn would twist him like a pretzel, destroy him as casually as stepping on a fly, if it served his purposes. Irys had no illusions in that regard, any more than she had any illusions about the basis for King Zhames' attentive solicitude where Daivyn was concerned.

Such a little boy
, she thought, her eyes prickling once again.
Such a little boy to be caught in such deep water. They'll suck the marrow out of you if they have the chance, Daivyn. They'll use you, then throw you away. Unless someone stops them
.

And Irys knew who that “someone” had to be.

Advise me, Phylyp
, she thought.
Advise me. Help me keep him safe—keep him alive. He's not just my baby brother now; he's my Prince, and all I have left. All that butcher Cayleb has left me. No one
—no one—
is going to do to him what they did to Father and Hektor. As God is my witness, I'll rip out their throats with my bare teeth before I let that happen!

No doubt it was foolish for a single eighteen-year-old girl to think such thoughts. No doubt King Zhames would pat her on the head, tell her to run along and leave the worrying to those better suited to such tasks. No doubt Zhaspahr Clyntahn would be amused at the thought that she could even consider setting her puny will and minuscule resources against his own plans for her brother. And no doubt Cayleb of Charis would laugh at the thought that someday she would see him suffer every pain he had inflicted upon her and her family twice over.

But
, she told herself, promised God Himself, as she stared bleak-eyed into the face of the night wind blowing out of the north,
they'll discover their mistake
.

Oh, yes. They'll discover their mistake
.

ABYLYN, CHARLZ
—a senior leader of the Temple Loyalists in Charis.

AHBAHT, LYWYS
—Edmynd Walkyr's brother-in-law; XO, merchant galleon
Wind
.

AHBAHT, ZHEFRY
—Earl Gray Harbor's personal secretary. He fulfills many of the functions of an undersecretary of state for foreign affairs.

AHDYMSYN, BISHOP EXECUTOR ZHERALD
—Erek Dynnys' bishop executor.

AHRDYN
—Archbishop Maikel's cat-lizard.

AHRMAHK, CAYLEB ZHAN HAARAHLD BRYAHN
—King of Charis.

AHRMAHK, CROWN PRINCE ZHAN
—younger brother of King Cayleb.

AHRMAHK, KAHLVYN CAYLEB
—younger brother of Duke Tirian, King Cayleb's first cousin once removed.

AHRMAHK, KING CAYLEB II
—King of Charis (see Cayleb Zhan Haarahld Bryahn Ahrmahk).

AHRMAHK, PRINCESS ZHANAYT
—King Cayleb's younger sister.

AHRMAHK, QUEEN ZHANAYT
—King Haarahld's deceased wife; mother of Cayleb, Zhanayt, and Zhan.

AHRMAHK, RAYJHIS
—Duke of Tirian, Constable of Hairatha, King Cayleb's first cousin once removed.

AHRMAHK, ZHENYFYR
—Dowager Duchess of Tirian, mother of Rayjhis and Kahlvyn Cayleb Ahrmahk, daughter of Rayjhis Yowance, Earl Gray Harbor.

AHRTHYR, SIR ALYK,
Earl of Windshare—the commander of Sir Koryn Gahrvai's cavalry.

AHSTYN, LIEUTENANT FRANZ,
Charisian Royal Guard—the second-in-command of King Cayleb II's personal bodyguard.

AHZGOOD, PHYLYP,
Earl of Coris—Prince Hektor's spymaster.

APLYN-AHRMAHK, MIDSHIPMAN HEKTOR,
Royal Charisian Navy—a midshipman assigned to HMS
Destiny
, 54. An adoptive member of the House of Ahrmahk as the Duke of Darcos.

ATHRAWES, CAPTAIN MERLIN,
Charisian Royal Guard—King Cayleb II's personal armsman; the cybernetic avatar of Commander Nimue Alban.

BAHNYR, HEKTOR,
Earl of Mancora—one of Sir Koryn Gahrvai's senior officers; commander of the right wing at Haryl's Crossing.

BAHRMYN, ARCHBISHOP BORYS
—Archbishop of Corisande.

BAHRNS, KING RAHNYLD IV
—King of Dohlar.

BANAHR, PRIOR FATHER AHZWALD
—head of the priory of Saint Hamlyn, city of Sarayn, Kingdom of Charis.

BAYTZ, HANBYL,
Duke of Solomon—Prince Nahrmahn of Emerald's uncle and the commander of the Emeraldian Army.

BAYTZ, NAHRMAHN HANBYL GRAIM
—see Prince Nahrmahn Baytz.

BAYTZ, PRINCE NAHRMAHN GAREYT
—second child and elder son of Prince Nahrmahn of Emerald.

BAYTZ, PRINCE NAHRMAHN II
—ruler of the Princedom of Emerald.

BAYTZ, PRINCE TRAHVYS
—Prince Nahrmahn of Emerald's third child and second son.

BAYTZ, PRINCESS FELAYZ
—Prince Nahrmahn of Emerald's youngest child and second daughter.

BAYTZ, PRINCESS MAHRYA
—Prince Nahrmahn of Emerald's oldest child.

BAYTZ, PRINCESS OHLYVYA
—wife of Prince Nahrmahn of Emerald.

BREYGART, COLONEL SIR HAUWERD,
royal charisian marines—the rightful heir to the Earldom of Hanth.

BRYNDYN, MAJOR DAHRYN
—the senior artillery officer attached to Brigadier Clareyk's column at Haryl's Priory.

BYRKYT, FATHER ZHON
—an over-priest of the Church of God Awaiting; abbot of the Monastery of Saint Zherneau.

CAHKRAYN, SAMYL,
Duke of Fern—first councilor of Dohlar.

CAHNYR, ARCHBISHOP ZHASYN
—Archbishop of Glacierheart; a member of the reformists.

CHALMYRZ, FATHER KARLOS
—Archbishop Borys' personal aide.

CHARLZ, MASTER YEREK,
Royal Charisian Navy—Gunner, HMS
Wave
, 14.

CHERMYN, GENERAL HAUWYL,
RCM—the senior officer of the Charisian Marine Corps. He will be the SO for the Marines in the invasion of Corisande.

CHERYNG, LIEUTENANT TAIWYL
—a junior officer on Sir Vyk Lakyr's staff; he is in charge of Lakyr's clerks and message traffic.

CLAREYK, BRIGADIER KYNT,
RCM—CO, Third Brigade, Royal Charisian Marines. One of the senior Marine officers assigned to the invasion of Corisande. He is also the originator of the training syllabus for the RCMC.

CLYNTAHN, VICAR ZHASPAHR
—Grand Inquisitor of the Church of God Awaiting; one of the so-called Group of Four.

COHLMYN, SIR LEWK,
Royal Charisian Navy—Earl Sharpfield, Queen Sharleyan's senior naval commander. Also the equivalent of her Navy Minister.

DAHRYUS, MASTER EDVARHD
—an alias of Bishop Mylz Halcom.

DAIKYN, GAHLVYN
—King Cayleb's valet.

DAIVYS, MYTRAHN
—a Charisian Temple Loyalist.

DARCOS, DUKE OF
—see Midshipman Hektor Aplyn-Ahrmahk.

DARYS, CAPTAIN TYMYTHY,
Royal Charisian Navy (“Tym”)—CO, HMS
Destroyer
, 54. Flag captain to Admiral Staynair.

DAYKYN, CROWN PRINCE HEKTOR
—Prince Hektor of Corisande's second oldest child and heir apparent.

DAYKYN, PRINCE DAIVYN
—Prince Hektor of Corisande's youngest child.

DAYKYN, PRINCE HEKTOR
—Prince of Corisande.

DAYKYN, PRINCESS IRYS
—Prince Hektor of Corisande's oldest child.

DAYKYN, PRINCESS RAICHYNDA
—Prince Hektor of Corisande's deceased wife; born in the Earldom of Domair, Kingdom of Hoth.

DEKYN, SERGEANT ALLAYN
—one of Kairmyn's noncoms, Delferahkan Army.

DOYAL, SIR CHARLZ
—Sir Koryn Gahrvai's senior artillery commander.

DRAGONER, SIR RAYJHIS
—Charisian ambassador to the Siddarmark Republic.

DRAGONMASTER, BRIGADE SERGEANT MAJOR MAHKYNTY
(“Mahk”), RCM—Brigadier Clareyk's senior noncom.

DUCHAIRN, VICAR RHOBAIR
—Treasurer General of the Church of God Awaiting; one of the so-called Group of Four.

DYNNYS, ADORAI
—Archbishop Erayk Dynnys' wife. Her alias after her husband's arrest is Ailysa.

DYNNYS, ARCHBISHOP ERAYK
—former Archbishop of Charis.

DYNNYS, STYVYN
—Archbishop Erayk Dynnys' younger son, age eleven.

DYNNYS, TYMYTHY ERAYK
—Archbishop Erayk Dynnys' older son, age fourteen.

EDWYRDS, KEVYN
—XO, privateer galleon
Kraken
.

ERAYKSYN, LIEUTENANT STYVYN,
Royal Charisian Navy—Admiral Staynair's flag lieutenant.

ERAYKSYN, WYLLYM
—a Charisian textiles manufacturer.

FAHRMYN, FATHER TAIRYN
—the priest assigned to Saint Chihiro's Church, a village church near the Convent of Saint Agtha.

FAIRCASTER, SERGEANT PAYTER,
Charisian Royal Guard—one of King Cayleb II's armsmen. A transfer from Crown Prince Cayleb's Marine detachment.

FHAIRLY, MAJOR AHDYM
—the senior battery commander on East Island, Ferayd Sound, Kingdom of Delferahk.

FHALKHAN, LIEUTENANT AHRNAHLD,
Royal Charisian Marines—commanding officer, Crown Prince Zhan's bodyguard.

FORYST, VICAR ERAYK
—a member of the reformists.

FRAIDMYN, SERGEANT VYK,
Charisian Royal Guard—one of King Cayleb II's armsmen.

FYSHYR, HAIRYS
—CO, privateer galleon
Kraken
.

GAHRMYN, LIEUTENANT RAHNYLD
—XO, galley
Arrowhead
, Delferahkan Navy.

GAHRVAI, SIR KORYN
—Earl Anvil Rock's eldest son and CO of Prince Hektor's field army.

GAHRVAI, SIR RYSEL, EARL OF ANVIL ROCK
—Prince Hektor's senior army commander and distant cousin.

GAIRAHT, CAPTAIN WYLLYS,
Chisholmian Royal Guard—CO of Queen Sharleyan's Royal Guard detachment in Charis.

GALVAHN, MAJOR SIR NAITHYN
—the Earl of Windshare's senior staff officer.

GARDYNYR, ADMIRAL LYWYS, EARL OF THIRSK
—King Rahnyld IV's best admiral, currently in disgrace.

GRAISYN, BISHOP EXECUTOR WYLLYS
—Archbishop Lyam Tyrn's bishop executor.

GRAIVYR, FATHER STYVYN
—Bishop Ernyst's intendant. A man after Clyntahn's own heart.

GRAND VICAR EREK XVII
—secular and temporal head of the Church of God Awaiting.

GYRARD, CAPTAIN ANDRAI,
Royal Charisian Navy—CO, HMS
Empress of Charis
.

HAHLMYN, FATHER MAHRAK
—an upper-priest of the Church of God Awaiting; Bishop Executor Thomys' personal aide.

HAHLMYN, SAIRAH
—Queen Sharleyan's personal maid.

HAHLYND, ADMIRAL PAWAL
—CO, anti-piracy patrols, Hankey Sound. (A friend of Admiral Thirsk.)

HAHSKYN, LIEUTENANT AHNDRAI,
Charisian Imperial Guard—a Charisian officer assigned to Empress Sharleyan's guard detachment. Captain Gairaht's second-in-command.

HAIMYN, BRIGADIER MAHRYS,
RCM—CO, Fifth Brigade, Royal Charisian Marines.

HALCOM, BISHOP MYLZ
—Bishop of Margaret Bay.

HARMYN, MAJOR BAHRKLY,
Emerald Army—an Emeraldian army officer assigned to North Bay.

HARYS, CAPTAIN ZHOEL
—CO, Corisandian galley
Lance
.

HOLDYN, VICAR LYWYS
—a member of the reformists.